To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Marshall Mazzarella, and I have served as Chairman and Trustee of the Union Wharf condominium trust for the last 10 years. Our building is located at 343 Commercial Street in Boston’s historic North End.

This beautiful granite building was built in the 1830’s as a warehouse and then converted into condominiums in 1978. Union Wharf is best known for its loft-like, brick-and-beam apartments, beautiful landscaping and “residential-like” feeling. Union Wharf is comprised of two granite buildings consisting of 67 brick and beam condominiums ranging in size from 1100sqft to 4000sqft, and 23 townhouses.

When it came time for a refresh of our common areas, we assembled a design committee, and carefully vetted 4 design firms inclusive of JBrice. We kept circling, always coming back to JBrice.

Jeff is passionate about his business and takes great pride in his projects. He was able to demonstrate his ability to transform our 190 year old warehouse building into today’s designs tastefully and with clarity, while maintaining the charm of our historic building.

Jeff is a take charge guy who will spell out a time line and deliver on same. He PAYS ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS; and is ALWAYS available!

Jeff also develops the bid documents required to be able to solicit general contractor bids from 4 GCs, all of whom were vetted by his company. I must tell you, I am not only an equity owner and trustee at Union Wharf, I am also a business owner of 42 years in the millwork industry.

Trust me when I say JBrice is one of the best at what he does. I am thrilled to have Jeff representing Union Wharf and look forward to our very successful project, which will add value to our property and stay relevant for decades to come.

Respectfully,
Marshall Mazzarella
O: 781-324-9600, D: 781-388-8901

To Whom It May Concern:

As a member of the design committee at Union Wharf, I have been working with Jeffrey Ornstein from JBrice Design and his team for months. After interviewing a number of designers, we decided JBrice was the best choice for us and we are not disappointed with our decision. We are about to enter construction phase and feel confident it will go smoothly.

Jeff and team have always been readily available for meetings, phone calls and emails. Their commitment to this project and vision for Union Wharf has been outstanding. I recommend them without hesitation.

Sincerely
Andrea Thomajan
Union Wharf Condominiums
nausetlass@aol.com

“Unfortunately, our lobby was finished in a gloomy manner that created a terrible first impression, utterly undistinguished and uninviting. From the first time that we met Jeff and his colleagues at a Board meeting, we were extremely impressed by their obvious competence and vision. We had the good sense to hire them and enjoyed every interaction with them from the first one to the last. The result of our collaboration with Jeff and company is that we now have a lobby that strikes me with its beauty every time that I enter our building. One final point that I want to make is that we had a very limited budget for the project, which Jeff and his colleagues respected and worked with to a very distinguished, attractive conclusion.”

James B. Re

Trustee

I am a member of the Board of The Mariner Condominium Association, a 105-unit, primarily residential condominium building located at 300 Commercial Street on Boston’s North End/Waterfront. I had the good fortune to work closely with Jeff Ornstein and his colleagues at J/Brice during 2017 and 2018 on a project to redesign our building’s extremely dated lobby and want to describe my experience for the benefit of any other condominium trustee building owner considering J/Brice for a design project.

The Mariner consists of a converted ten-story brick warehouse building plus a six-story connected annex occupying a marvelous location at the edge of Boston Harbor with sweeping views across the harbor and out to sea. The building was converted from commercial to residential use in 1986. At that time, it was outfitted with a three-story lobby, consisting of a floor at street level, a concierge/reception desk located above street level at the top of a flight of stairs and a mechanical lift, and a soaring vaulted atrium roof high above.

Unfortunately, despite the potential grandeur of the physical space, it was finished in a dark, gloomy manner that created a terrible first impression. Indeed, I lived nearby when The Mariner was first opened in 1986 and looked at a unit, but decided not to buy it because the building’s lobby was utterly undistinguished and uninviting.

In 1998, my wife and I decided to buy a unit at The Mariner despite the lobby because a real estate broker insisted that we see the unit and we fell in love with it. I became a member of the Board very soon after we moved in and spent the next 19 years urging my fellow Board members to undertake redesign and renovation of our lobby. Finally, in 2017, we decided that the time had come to put other projects aside and attend to the lobby.

Luckily for us, our property manager from Barkan Management Company had recently worked with Jeff Ornstein on a couple of very substantial redesign and renovation projects at other high end residential condominiums that she managed and recommended Jeff to us. From the first time that we met Jeff and his colleagues at a Board meeting, we were extremely impressed by their obvious competence and vision. We had the good sense to hire them and enjoyed every interaction with them from the first one to the last.

The result of our collaboration with Jeff and company is that we now have a lobby that strikes me with its beauty every time that I enter our building. My reaction to the lobby is shared by the many fellow owners who have thanked me for my part in the lobby project and by everyone who has ever visited us, particularly those family members and friends who had visited us before Jeff and his team worked their magic.

One final point that I want to make is that we had a very limited budget for the project, which Jeff and his colleagues respected and worked with to a very distinguished, attractive conclusion.

I would be most pleased to answer any questions that anyone may have about my experience with and opinions concerning J/Brice International and would be equally pleased to give a personal tour of The Mariner to anyone who is interested. My mobile number is 617-519-9775 and my email address is jbr@fitchlp.com. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely yours,

James B. Re

To whom it may concern:

As Chairperson of the Design Committee at Burroughs Wharf Condominium, I am happy to offer this letter of recommendation for JBrice Design International.

JBrice was contracted to initially design concepts for the renovation of our corridors in Buildings 40 and 50 on The Boston Waterfront. This capital expenditure had not been funded, and would require the presentation of the proposed design to our owners, and after that a vote would be taken as to whether or not to embark on the work. We met frequently with Jeff and June and their team to develop the design, and as the process unfolded, it was immediately evident that they were a highly organized, talented and skillful group, demonstrating to us their creative talent and ideas, as well as their highly responsible approach to budget. They quickly developed a firm understanding of our vision and hopes, all the while happy to educate the committee on the many layers of design decisions involved to achieve a successful installation. There was never a detail too small, or an approach that the JBrice team shied from exploring for us. They were exceptionally dedicated and always available. We felt we had indeed been given access to all possibilities from accomplished professionals, so in the end we were very confident and delighted with all our ultimate decisions.

The design we arrived upon was presented at our Annual Meeting, and was received enthusiastically by the entire community which approved the work that very evening. Our corridors were completed flawlessly within 5 months and are a distinguishing jewel of our interiors appreciated by all the residents. In fact, one neighbor hired JBrice not long afterwards to fully renovate their duplex penthouse.

We again contracted the JBrice team to embark upon the design of our lobbies. We have completed the all designs and documentation, as well as the contactor bid process (which JBrice also handled for us) and look forward to when we complete our properties entire public space renovation with the new and refreshing design.

Please feel free to reach out to me should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Stempler
MStempler@alumni-brownrudnick.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I have worked with Jeff Ornstein and J/Brice Design for over 25 years. During this time Jeff has helped with three major projects involving complete common area re-decorating of two 16 story, 423-unit condominiums, as well as several smaller ones.

I have always found Jeff and his colleagues to be creative, courteous and attentive to our needs. Any issues are resolved quickly and professionally. Jeff has always been personally available to answer questions and provide feedback.

I would not hesitate to recommend Jeff and J/Brice for any project of any scope.

Lois Goldman
General Manager
lgoldman@the-towers.com

To Whom It May Concern:

As President of Kirkbrae Country Club, Lincoln Rhode Island, I offer this unconditional letter of recommendation for JBrice Design, with whom we have worked closely with for nearly a year.

After a lengthy search interviewing many designers, we hired Jeff nearly immediately upon meeting him with a unanimous vote by our board.

Jeff presented JBrice to us quite comprehensively: an overview of its decades of service as a leading interior design firm for large­scale high-end projects, the methodology which he employs to develop and execute a project once fully understanding the client’s objectives, and how this all can be done within specific and unyielding guidelines with respect to scheduling and most important budget control. Jeff made impressive claims regarding the JBrice track record of success on both of these paramount issues.

As we near the final week of completion preparing for the grand reveal to our members of our $1.2 million renovation, I can say without hesitation he thoroughly fulfilled every promise and expectation, and we couldn’t be prouder of our spectacular new property which will ensure Kirkbrae’s undisputable position as the premier facility in our market.

Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call. My cell 401-559-1800.

Regards’

Edward N. Decristofaro
President/CEO LDC Inc.
President Kirkbrae Country Club

To Whom It May Concern:

As we have evolved, our facilities have all seen upgrades including golf course redevelopment, newly constructed recreational venues and clubhouse refurbishment.

As the leadership at our facility has learned through the years, there is much more to renovation projects than the obvious elements such as funding, design and construction. Trustworthiness, integrity, and attention to detail are key essentials to consider to protect large investments. As such, our clubs board and management have always been keen to engage what may be commonly referred to as “the best in the business.” Most recently with our clubhouse renovation project, led by J. Brice Design International, we have the confidence to say that once again, we’ve worked with the best.

JBDI, led by Principal / Owner Jeffrey Ornstein, was the last of 6 designers we interviewed and invited to tour our space. Jeff’s approach to that first visit made a remarkable impression on our committee. Jeff showcased his firms dedication to not only our vision for the facility but emphasized their process and commitment to maintaining budget guidelines, timelines and his willingness to listen to and understand the precise functional needs of our facility, as well as our vision for where we wanted to take our brand. Right away we knew Jeff and his team at JBDI were the perfect fit for our project.

JBDI wasted no time on providing us with relevant, tasteful, and exciting design concepts. Jeff and June, the lead designer on our project, took great care to pinpoint exactly where we needed to focus our attention and in a short time, presented us an overall design concept that was spot on. After a few tweaks, and much coaching from their team, we soon arrived at an overwhelming consensus making our final decisions. Throughout the whole process, Jeff guided us and educated us on how to achieve our goals yet stay committed to our budget as we worked through finalizing the scope. Within a few short months, we had our final designs ready for approval. The experience was fun, insightful and most importantly created much excitement.

Throughout the procurement process, JBDI handled the purchasing and delivery timelines with precision to ensure that the project would flow according to our original guidelines. No small feat considering, our lighting was custom designed for our project and manufactured in Turkey, our carpet from China, and decorative materials from throughout the USA. This serving as only one of many examples of how the attention to detail and client relationships earn JBDI the reputation is has earned over 30 years in business.

Our members couldn’t be happier with the final product, and we have seen sizeable jumps in our booking at our increased rates since the showing started after the end of the Covd shutdown.

I am happy to offer my strongest recommendation of JBrice Design for projects which require a sophisticated eye, seasoned experience, and a realistic approach and undertaking to timelines and budgets.

Tim Flanagan
General Manager, Kirkbrae Country Club
Cell – 978-857-5373

“Jeff presented JBrice to us quite comprehensively: the methodology which he employs to develop and execute a project once fully understanding the client’s objectives, and how this all can be done within specific and unyielding guidelines with respect to scheduling and most important budget control. Jeff made impressive claims regarding the JBrice track record of success on both of these paramount issues. I can say without hesitation he thoroughly fulfilled every promise and expectation.”

Edward N. Decristofaro 

President/CEO 

President Kirkbrae Country Club

“Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers is one of the largest real estate firms in the world with over $30 billion in assets under management. Over the past 15 years, we have had the pleasure of working with Jeff Ornstein and J/Brice Design Company on the design elements for a number of our properties. They also have a demonstrated the ability to execute projects from the concept stages to opening in a seamless and professional manner, on time and on budget. One of the keys to their success is the energy that they bring to the process, i.e. a strong vision for the project that ties the design to environment, an exacting set of standards and excellent communication with its their clients. Finally, and very important, the company has high standards of integrity and honesty which are critical components for any company that provides custom services to its clients. In summary, I am strongly recommending the capabilities of Jeff Ornstein and J/Brice Design Company.”
+
David J. Reilly
CEO AND President (Retired)
Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers

To Whom It May Concern

Sub: Letter of Reference for J/Brice International. Boston. MA USA

I am pleased to provide this letter of reference for J/Brice Design International, the interior design firm we are working with for The Hotel Khalifa in Doha.

J/Brice has proven to be an invaluable asset to our organization in conceiving, articulating, and executing a world class hotel; even far beyond the high expectations we had when we first met Jeff. He and his designers not only bring to the project an highly unique and distinctive passion for design and its finery, but a comprehensive and thorough knowledge of the hospitality industry, a responsible and determined recognition for time and budget requirements, and a remarkable sensitivity and respect for the Arabian culture and marketplace. They have risen well beyond their responsibilities with respect to guiding us through the design process and drawing on their exhaustive knowledge of the international marketplace, which brings added value to the competitive build out and furnishing of our property. As a direct result of our confidence in their judgment and expertise, we have also repeatedly looked to them for guidance on related but not specifically design oriented concerns and here too found their counsel to ultimately be the best solution.

Their drawings and supporting documentation which has been distributed to contractors and vendors have been described as flawless in their execution, and as such we know that not only are we getting the articulated design Jeff has presented, but that the builders and suppliers that we are dealing with are well informed, to the finest detail, of his specific and highly developed vision. On par is the cooperation and professionalism we have experienced with his supporting design team, who are equal to the task, quick in response, and maintain the same high level of commitment to our project that Jeff promised us from the very beginning. They are the spirit and the momentum behind this undertaking, and Jeff is a hands on Principal who guides with confidence and clarity.

The Khalifa is being built on the grounds of the Aspire Zone, which is under the direct supervision of Aspire authority (Qatar Govt. Department} who has reviewed the J/Brice Design boards personally. We were advised of the unconditional approval of all spaces when presented as the concepts and design directions were received with great enthusiasm.

We are extremely satisfied with our selection of J/Brice, and recommend without hesitation Jeff and his team for a project of any scope which requires a keen eye, a distinctive design perspective, detailed knowledge of the hospitality industry, and respect and regard for the art, architecture and history of the Arabian culture, all executed within a realistic time frame and cost.

You may feel free to call me to discuss any particulars not mentioned in this letter, or my Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Khalid Badrieh, or General Manager-Projects, Mr. Bijan Choudhury, for finer details on the day to day cooperation, team building, professionalism, and inspiration we have experienced with Jeff and the J/Brice Design team.

Mohammad Bin A. Rahman Al Thani,
Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs
Previously CEO, E’EMAR Development & Real Estate Investments

“I have always found J/Brice Design, and Jeff personally, to be extremely attentive to my needs as owner with respect to both excellent and appropriate design for my property, as well as achieving this excellent design within the context of the budget set out for the project.

Jeff and his project managers are always available for meetings and informal input, and have proved themselves to be not only excellent designers but responsive and efficient business people as well. I highly recommend J/Brice Design, and intend to use their services in the future.”

Keith Gilbert
Owner, Park Lodge Hotels